First Kisses and Sweet Smells
by JRavenTheFangirl
Summary: First kisses, snow, and romance... (Every chapter is a different ship, and each chapter is an accumulation of two or three different phrases prompting a short fic for that chapter. The list link is in the A/N. We have had Wilyss, Wilt, and Hill). COMPLETED
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: These are short drabbles that got suggested to me on Tumblr... thanks to the anon who told me to write them. The link to the prompts is here: post/86021694055/send-a-number-or-2-and-a-pairing-and-ill-try | So these are shorter than my usual fics, but I hope you enjoy them regardless.**

 **14: First Kiss**

Will touched two fingers to his lips again… it still couldn't mimic the feeling of that kiss…

His first kiss.

Being around the same two girls for his whole life, he never thought about kissing anyone. He knew Jenny and Alyss so well that he never considered kissing them, but now that Alyss's lips had been against his, he couldn't think about anything else.

"Your vacation is up," said his mentor, suddenly. Will snapped out of his thoughts. "Time to come back down to Earth, now."

Will stared sheepishly at the path in front of him. They should be reaching the cabin soon, he realized, and meanwhile he was still caught up in what had happened back at Araluen. He muttered an apology to Halt, who barely acknowledged it with a grunt.

That didn't keep him from thinking about it later, of course. Will laid wide awake that night, replaying that scene in his head… He just couldn't stop thinking about it.

Will turned over and buried his face in his pillow. He felt like kind of an idiot. It was just one kiss, and it probably didn't mean anything. People kissed all the time. He wondered… had it been _her_ first kiss, too?

Miles and miles away, Alyss took a big sigh. She pulled up the sheets to her head and squeezed her eyes shut.

It's not that she regretted what she did… in fact, it was the exact opposite. She wondered, had it been Will's first kiss, too?

People kissed all the time, and a great guy like Will must've had a ton of girls fall in love with him before. _He probably assumed it was a friendly kiss,_ she thought. _And I guess that's a good thing. It won't mess up our friendship, next time we meet._

 _It was probably a friendly kiss,_ Will decided, with a curt nod. He paused. Even with that figured out, he didn't feel any more at rest than he had before. _But, still…_ he thought, _is it as important to her as it is to me?_

Alyss sighed again, and turned over. She closed her eyes, because she knew she had to try and get some sleep that night. Everything would sort itself out, she figured, and she pressed two fingers to her lips.

That night, while she and Will fell asleep to the thoughts of each other, she made a promise. She promised herself that her first kiss wouldn't be her last with Will.

Years passed, but she never forgot that promise. And she never gave up on it.

 **49: Coming Home**

Whenever Will was out somewhere, taking care of official Ranger business, or even going to a Gathering, he always looked forward to coming back to his cabin. He loved his cabin, not because of the design itself, but because of the feeling it gave him. It felt like home… and he'd never had a home.

Not _really._ When he was growing up, he considered the Ward his home, but that was a place that several kids considered their home. He wanted something special to him. Something that no one else could have but him… and he thought that that his cabin was it…

But a home was supposed fill a hole in your heart. And his cabin just didn't do that.

After all this time, Will still needed a home.

 _But wait,_ he thought to himself, one day, as he was riding back from a Gathering. _I_ did _have a home._

For the first time in way too long, he smiled. He caught a wisp of a memory, like a sweet smell just barely reaching his nose. He trusted Tug to guide him through the forest and closed his eyes.

 _Will and Alyss happened to be in Araluen at the same time, so they spent the time they had to themselves with each other, wandering around the town. Eventually they found a street where the merchants sold their wares… and they strolled around, pointing out food that looked good and occasionally buying a thing or two._

 _Alyss used the hand that wasn't holding Will's to point over to one side. "Oh, that looks good," she said. On the stand she was looking at, there was a beautiful chocolate cake on display for everyone to lust over._

 _Will chuckled. Alyss had always had a secret sweet tooth. "Want to get a piece?" he asked._

 _"No, it's alright," she said. "Let's save our money for something else."_

 _"Okay." The truth was, Will didn't plan on buying anything big. He didn't come here to look at the clothes and desserts._

 _He squeezed her hand, suddenly, and turned his head sideways to look at her. She knew exactly where to look and where his eyes were. She'd done it so many times, now it was muscle memory. "I love you," he told her. But he was only scratching the surface of his feelings for her. They ran so much deeper than 'I love you'._

 _A smile spread across Alyss's face. Those words made her heart swell every time she heard them, no matter where she was, or how she felt. "I love you too," she said. "And I love being here with you… It reminds me of when we were kids."_

 _"I don't care where we are. I just want to be with you."_

 _Alyss_ was home, Will realized, in the present.

His grin was reaching all across his face, now, and a warm feeling spread through his chest, filling every cell and making him wish it would never go away… And then he saw a tear fall into Tug's mane. Then another. Before he knew it, a ton of tears were streaming down Will's face, and he couldn't stop them, no matter how hard he tried.

"I don't care where I am…" Will sobbed. "I just want to be with you again."

He was right…

Because now that Alyss was gone, he _didn't_ have a home.


	2. Chapter 2: Wilt

**A/N: I've decided to turn this into a multichapter story with all these prompts I got from that list... This chapter is Wilt (Will/Halt), and if you don't like it then you can skip this chapter.**

 **2: In The Snow**

Winter was the best, truly. Whenever people said they didn't like winter, it was always because it was too cold, or they could slip and fall on the ice… but, to Will, the temperature was just an excuse to enjoy his time inside, where it was warm and he had a fireplace to sit by. Feeling warm while the weather outside was so cold was just like the feeling you get when you curl up into bed at night. Warm, safe…

Not to mention the snow was beautiful, and he just couldn't miss it.

The first day he woke up and found snow blanketing the ground, he looked forward to being able to enjoy it later. Halt didn't let him, at first, because they had training to do, but after dinner, Will stood up and said:

"I'm going to go outside for a bit."

Halt looked at him curiously. "Why's that?" he asked.

Will smiled, almost fully responding. "Because it snowed, of course." He paused. He was almost out the door, and then a thought came to his mind and he said, "Come with me?"

"No, I'd rather not. Don't stay out too long, though. It'll be too much trouble if you have a cold."

Will shrugged. Maybe he'd join him after a minute or two.

The sun was down, but the moon gave him enough light to see by. Will eyed it, and wondered if it was full. It certainly looked full. The ground lit up beautifully under it, like the light was hanging right over it inside of being hundreds of thousands of miles away.

For just one day of snow, there sure was a lot. It was so layered so masterfully, like a painting instead of an act of nature, that Will was tempted to run out and make a snow angel, or just lay down in it and become part of the painting. He didn't, but he did walk down the porch steps and emerged his hand in it.

He'd forgotten he didn't have gloves on.

Will hissed, when he felt the cold burn his hand, and snapped it back. Now that he thought about it… it _was_ very cold.

For the past week it had been cold enough to snow, but Will had never gone out at night to look at the bare ground. It was probably a bad idea to go out without a coat, or a hat, or something…

Just when he was about to go inside to put on some warmer clothes, he felt a weight drop onto his shoulders.

"It's freezing out here," said Halt, directly behind him. "If you're going to stay out here, you might as well wear something remotely warm."

Will smiled, and pulled his arms through the sleeves of the coat Halt had dropped on him. He stood up, and found to his surprise that Halt stayed beside him inside of walking inside again.

"Thanks."

Halt grunted a response that sounded something vaguely like 'you're welcome'. Or it might've been 'whatever'. Both meant the same thing, at heart.

"It's kind of beautiful," the apprentice said, looking back at the scene in front of them.

"I guess so."

Will felt a pair of eyes on him. He could see out of his peripheral vision that it was Halt, so he didn't have to worry about somebody stalking them, but he wondered why Halt was staring…

 _Very beautiful,_ thought Halt.

 **2: Chocolate**

"Want to try something new?" Will asked, one morning. Halt had made their coffees, and they were just sitting down to eat breakfast when Will launched their day with a strange question.

Halt eyed him carefully. "Hm…" he muttered. "Before I say yes or no you'd better tell me what it is."

"Nothing bad. It's just…" Will walked to a cupboard, and pulled out a bottle. "I heard a while ago from someone that coffee tasted good with chocolate in it. I didn't remember it until just now, but I'm going to try it. Do you want to, too?"

"Instead of honey, you mean?"

"Well, I don't think they'll taste very good together," Will said, "so, no."

"I'll pass, then."

Will sighed. He was asking Halt's permission, but, in truth, he was trying to _persuade_ him rather than politely ask like he didn't care either way. "It sounds good," he told him. "I don't think it'll mess up your coffee."

Halt was already opening the honey and pouring it in his cup. "Not having honey will mess up my coffee," Halt said.

Will rolled his eyes. Whatever. He would have it anyway.

With his first sip his eyes widened in surprise. Halt was watching him, interested in how good it would taste… Will swallowed, then said: "Wow… it _is_ good."

"Is it?"

"Mhm." Will took even larger sips from then on, without talking in between. His mentor was staring at him with a look of betrayal, but Will ignored him. The coffee was good, and Halt was just missing out.

Within the minute the cup was empty. Still, Halt was staring at him, waiting for a further reaction. What more could he say? Will wondered. There was a silence, and then…

"It was good."

"Well I see that. Are you going to have it tomorrow?"

"Probably," Will said. The corners of his lips curved up, just a little, and he held up the bottle of liquid chocolate, continuing, "We have more, after all. If you want to try some tomorrow then-"

Halt snatched the bottle from his hand, and stood up abruptly from the table. In a flash, he was at the door.

"H-Halt, wha-?!" Will exclaimed.

But before he could get over there fast enough, Halt had already opened the bottle and was pouring the contents onto the porch. There was snow on the ground, and chocolate on the white ground would look awfully bad… whereas the porch was brown.

Will reached for the bottle, but Halt just held it out of his reach, and put the other free hand on Will's shoulder to keep him from going any farther. Soon enough, the bottle was empty. Will's protests ceased… he stopped trying to push Halt's hand away (which was a lost cause in itself) and began glaring at him, instead. His glare was not one of complete anger, but also sadness and general _exhaustion_.

Seconds came and went, but silence stayed. And as if to rub salt in the wound, Halt offered him back the bottle. Will slapped it out of his hand.

"Why'd you do that?!" he exclaimed, as the bottle clattered to the ground.

"Rangers drink honey with their coffee," said Halt. "Not chocolate. It's an unspoken law. Are you a real Ranger?"

"I _am_ a real Ranger…'s apprentice." He paused. "But I can drink what I want."

"Fine, then… But are you _my_ apprentice?"

Will's eyebrows raised. So, then, being _Halt's_ apprentice meant drinking honey (and just honey) with his coffee?

"The correct answer is yes."

"No, I'm not. I don't even know you." _Revenge,_ Will thought. _Revenge for getting rid of good food._

Then, out of the blue, Halt did one of the last things Will expected him to do. It wasn't _the_ last, but it was on the list for certain reasons. His mentor gripped his shoulder with one hand, then pulled him in and crashed their lips together. The kiss was short-lived, but it was enough to turn Will's face red and send his mind reeling, like every time it happened.

Kisses between them were rare, because there was always a chance somebody was watching, and they wanted to somehow keep a balance between their relationship as mentor and apprentice and their relationship as… more. But this time, Halt couldn't resist.

He pulled back, yet their faces were still close. "Then let me introduce myself," he said, fighting a smirk. "I'm Halt O'Carrick, your mentor. I like coffee, and I hate wasting time. Now, because you drank your coffee so fast, you can start warming up your arms. We'll begin the day with knife throwing." Halt walked back to the breakfast table, and trusted Will to do as he asked.

Which he did. It took a minute to clear his head and erase the redness from his face, but Will decided that he could sneak buying some more chocolate next time they went into town.

 **22: Books**

Where _was_ Will? Halt was looking around every bookshelf… but it was a big library they were in. Halt had promised Will a few minutes to look around, since they hadn't been to town in a while, and Will was just itching to have some free time. But it had been more than a few minutes, and Will had succeeded in getting himself free from Halt (if that was his intent).

"Will?" asked Halt, peeking around another corner and yet again finding nothing. "Will, where are you?"

"Halt? I'm over here," came a voice.

Halt followed it through a maze of more bookshelves and walls, until he found Will, caught up in reading the first page of a book. "Is my time up?" he asked.

"Just about," Halt said. Now that he knew Will wasn't in any danger, he could relax a little… He put his hands in his pockets, and took a look around. "I didn't know you had such an interest in books."

"Hm… sort of." Will closed that book, and slid it back into its place on the shelf. Despite what Halt had said moments before, he started looking for another. "I like books, but I like them even more now that I hardly have any time to read."

Halt snorted. "Is that supposed to be directed at _me_?" He put his hand on his heart, like he was genuinely offended.

"If you'd like." Will gave his mentor a cheeky smile, and then turned away abruptly. Something had caught his eye.

"Oh! I like this one." He took a normal sized book off of a shelf at his eye level, and showed Halt the cover. "I read it during my last year at the Ward…" Will cautiously at Halt, like he was hopeful, but not _too_ hopeful. Halt knew what he was going to ask before he asked it: "Can I check it out?"

Halt shrugged. "I don't know… Didn't you just say you had hardly any time to read?"

A smile snuck its way onto Will's face. "Maybe not, but I can try."

"…Well, I can't say I have a problem with it."

So Will tucked it under his arm… Unfortunately, Halt had not left a trail of bread crumbs to guide them out. It took a minute of guessing which paths to take and saying nothing, pretending like they weren't lost for them to realize that they _were_ in fact, lost.

" _You_ lived near this library," Halt grunted. "How do we get out?"

"I don't know… I didn't always go that far in, and it's been a few years…" muttered Will. Halt shot him a look, to which Will would rather die than look at, so all he could do was stare sheepishly at the ground.

Then an idea struck him. "Oh!" Will gasped, "I have an idea."

"Yell for help? Wave a white flag?"

"No…" This wasn't his original idea, but, suddenly, Will came up with something else to say. He looked up Halt, with sparkling eyes, and a dreamy look on his face. "Let's run away," he whispered.

Halt grimaced. "What?"

Will put one hand on his mentor's shoulder, and brought his face closer to his. It was at times like these when Will was glad Halt was so short. "If _they_ can't accept our love, then let's forget about them," Will whispered. "Let's run away. We're already lost… let's get lost with each other."

But Halt wasn't buying it. He met Will's dramatic gesture with a long, unimpressed stare.

Will shrugged. "Or I could climb the bookshelf and find a way out."

"Let's do that."

Will successfully climbed the bookshelf, almost tipping it over and giving both of them a heart attack. But, with his guidance, they were out of there in no time. Halt had to admit, though, thinking later… that if he weren't a Ranger, and if he didn't love being a Ranger so much, he might've considered that idea of running away. Of course, he didn't tell Will that, but he hoped that he knew it anyway.


	3. Chapter 3: Hill

**2: In The Snow**

"I was thinking about building a snowman," Horace said.

Will chuckled and glanced around them, at the ground coated with white, crunchy snow. For the past month, it had been like this. There was certainly enough snow to make a snowman…

"I almost made one," Will replied. "Well, I wanted to make a snow _Ranger_ , and put my cape on it and everything, but then Halt threatened to give it a silver Oak leaf inside of me."

Horace snorted.

"But we can build one tonight, if you want," Will said.

"It's dark… Would we be able to see?" asked the knight.

"See how childish we are? Yes, we would. But let's do it when we get to the bottom of this hill." The ground was starting to slope down ahead of them.

Horace laughed. "You're getting sarcastic," he said. "You've been spending too much time around your mentor… you should start spending more time with me."

Will's playful smile turned into one of sadness. "Yeah…" he sighed, "I wish I could spend more time with you. Knights and Rangers are kind of… separate, sometimes. Maybe I would've considered that second offer to become a knight if things were different between us back then." He paused, taking a moment to consider his next words. There didn't feel like there was anyone around, so he thought they were safe enough to say. "We weren't in love back then."

Horace shook his head. "No, I'm glad you turned it down," he assured him. "You're meant to be a Ranger, Will, and I'm meant to be a knight. Still… that doesn't mean we can't be together."

"You're right." And, just like that, Will was back to smiling.

The mood had dropped a little… and Will didn't like that. Between his training and Horace's life as a knight, he rarely got any time with him nowadays, let alone private time where they didn't have to hide their feelings for each other. So he decided to brighten it with a little… harmless flirting.

He leaned in sideways to Horace, bringing their faces close… and just when the knight thought for sure they were going to kiss, Will whispered: "Let's _be_ together… lover."

A blush consumed Horace's face, and even though he was trying not to look so embarrassed… that was kind of impossible. He put his hand on Will's shoulder and playfully shoved him away, the way they would give each other a friendly punch on the shoulder. But Horace didn't know his own strength.

It was a combination of that, and how Will slipped as he tried to catch himself, that made him _completely_ loose his balance and fall on his back. But the plane was sloped. Once he was down, he couldn't get back up, and he couldn't stop falling.

Horace watched from the high ground, helpless to save his boyfriend from tumbling down the hill.

"I'll… get… you… for… that…!" Will yelled, as he kept rolling. His words got quieter the lower he fell.

"S-Sorry!" Horace called. He didn't feel like it would help any, and he knew that Will was going to pummel him with snowballs when he came back up.

 **9: Grinding**

 **(Modern AU)**

When Horace walked out of the doors to his highschool, his eyes wandered to that same spot he saw Will at every day: sitting on the raised stone wall of the garden bed, right outside their school.

"Will!" he called.

Will turned his head, to where Horace was running up to him, then stood and smiled. He replied with a "hey", and then couldn't get any more out before they gave each other a quick peck on the lips.

The second thing Will noticed about Horace, after his general presence, was that he was carrying a skateboard under his arm. He gestured to it and said, "Going to ride it?"

Horace nodded. "Yeah. It's pretty difficult, but I've been practicing over the break, and I think I've gotten to a good level… I can even do a few tricks."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Like what?"

Horace looked away, sinking into a semi-deep stream of thought. "Hm…" he mumbled, "well, I can flip it over and land on it… like, that little spinning trick where you jump up," he started gesturing with his hands, "and then when the board is right side up you land back on it."

"The kickflip."

"Yeah, the-" Horace's words skidded to a stop, and he stared, surprised at Will. But his boyfriend stared back, unblinking, not sure what was so unusual about him directly referencing a skateboarding trick to a skateboarder who didn't know the term.

"Kickflip," Horace agreed. "Oh, and I can do that, um… You put your heel on the back and fly up like you're on a ramp-"

"Ollie."

"An ollie. How do you know these terms?!"

Will laughed.. not like Horace was stupid, but because he was _also_ surprised at himself. "Honestly, I don't know," he admitted. "I think I took a few lessons when I was younger… or I just picked them up somewhere."

Horace fought a smile, but it won pretty quickly and he didn't try to erase it once it was too late. "Well, I do know _one_ term," he said, "and that's grinding."

"Can you do that?"

"I'm learning. Want to see?" Horace nodded towards the silver rail, accompanying the stair steps down the school campus.

Will wasn't so sure. He did want to see, yes, but there were a lot of people nearby for him to crash into, and besides, Horace could hurt himself. "I don't know…" he thought aloud, "it's pretty crowded."

"There're stairs on the less used side of school."

"You could hurt yourself."

"It's alright." Horace smiled with confidence in himself. "I get it most of the time," he said.

"You don't have a helmet."

Will should've guessed that Horace would reach into his backpack and take out a helmet. He sighed. "Well, I won't stop you," Will decided.

So they headed to the other side of the school, where there were doors offering a passage from the building, but it wasn't facing the main street, so only kids whose families lived in those houses on that street came out that way.

"I just had a thought," Will said, as Horace had his helmet buckled on and was setting up his skateboard to jump onto the railing. "Are you doing this because you want to impress me?"

Horace looked away from him, sort of sheepishly. That was an answer in itself. As a tiny smile was turning his lips up he admitted, "That's a big part of it."

Will grinned. "You don't have to do that…"

"But I'm going to! So watch closely, and trust me!" It was obvious, by his body language and tone that he was getting ready to do the trick…

And now Will's heart was really on edge. How good was Horace… really? He had only learned these tricks recently; their school break had only lasted a couple weeks. And if Horace was just doing this to show off…

But Horace could decide for himself what he could and couldn't do. It was out of Will's hands now, he thought, as Horace skated forward. He might as well sit back, watch, and have confidence in his boyfriend.

 _Please let me live,_ Horace prayed. He jumped up, with his board under him. _Please let me live…!_

Will didn't know Horace had landed until he heard the skidding and squeaking of the board against the rail. And, when he did, he let a big grin slide over his face.

The landing was difficult, because he almost lost his balance, but he landed (not on his face).

"Awesome!" Will cheered. He gave him a round of applause. "That was really good!"

Horace looked over his shoulder and grinned. That was exactly the reaction he had been hoping for… and he felt surge of confidence fill him. "Thanks!" he called back. "I think I-" That confidence left him just as quickly as it came. Even though he had stopped well after the landing, when he looked back over his shoulder, he shifted his weight from the middle of the board to the back edge. So it rolled out from under him like someone had snatched it away, and left him to fall on his backside. Horace hissed in pain upon the impact.

"H-Horace!" Will exclaimed. He ran down the stairs to him, because he was concerned. But being concerned didn't mean that he couldn't laugh, and he was laughing. Hard.

When he kneeled down and put his hand on Horace's shoulder, he could barely talk. "Are… are you okay?" he gasped.

"I am, but it's a little hard to think you're genuine when you're laughing!" Horace exclaimed. And yet, he was laughing too.

 **14: First Kiss**

Finally… Will's skill seemed to be coming back.

Ever since he had been captured and taken to Skandia, the Ranger apprentice hadn't had much time to practice Ranger things. Now that he was free and preparing himself for a battle, he was devoting every second of his time to getting his skill back up to where it was supposed to be.

Even though he had improved vastly since he first started recalling the information, once and a while, his arrow would slip down a few inches below the bullseye… and he would sigh, and redo that shot.

One day, someone saw it.

"You missed," said a voice. It didn't sound mocking to him, or disappointed. The quite opposite, actually.

Will turned his head to the side, and found that Horace was leaning against a tree and watching him with a kind smile. Will returned it instinctively.

"You look well," Horace said, walking closer. "Are you?"

"Yeah…" Will nodded. The nod wasn't just for Horace. It was also for himself. "Yeah, I'm better."

"Good."

"What do you need?"

"Oh, um…" Horace glanced away, at the target with the arrow stuck in it, just barely missing the bullseye mark. "I just… wanted to make sure of that. That you're okay. And that your practice is improving, which it is."

"Thanks, mom."

Horace rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said. "I'm just…"

Will's smile faded. Maybe Horace was actually being serious.

Suddenly the knight threw his arms around his friend. "I just missed you," he whispered. Horace was several inches taller than Will, so when he talked, it was like he was talking into his hair.

"I…" Will felt something inside of him snap, with his nose pressed into Horace's bare neck and his arms around him. It wasn't anything bad, but it was like a release of emotions that Will didn't know he had been holding back. "I missed you too," he whispered back, and fell into the knight's arms.

"I said that before when you returned, but I don't think you understand."

Horace pulled away, which was disappointing. But when he did pull away, it was just so that he and Will could stare directly into each other's eyes. And Horace didn't have to say anything to let Will know what he realized while they were apart.

The knight had waited for too long. He promised himself over and over again, when Will was away, that when they were reunited he would make his move. Even if it destroyed their friendship, and Will thought he was a disgusting person.

"I…" he began, but no words flowed out. He had to force them. "I didn't know until you were gone, how much I… I lo-"

Will stopped him, by standing up taller and pressing their lips together. Horace didn't do anything… for about half a second. He was still in shock during that time, but as he realized what was happening, he pulled Will into him and kissed him harder.

There might've been someone standing a few meters away, staring at them for all they knew. They just had to trust that there wasn't, because if one of them stayed alert, that would take away from the moment. Or minute. Or however long they were there, just kissing and holding each other close… wondering how long it would be before they'd want to break away.


	4. Chapter 4: Wilyss (more)

**24: My Child**

"A… Awiss…"

Alyss giggled, glowing from the inside out as Madelyn's tiny hands reached out to touch her cheek. Oh, Evanlyn's baby was just so perfect… the sweetest thing ever. Alyss loved her like she was her own daughter.

Evanlyn knew this, but she had still tried to convince Alyss that she could hire somebody to take care of Madelyn for the night. She and Horace had some official business to take care of, and wouldn't be done early enough to consider making the trip back to the castle. The only girl Evanlyn trusted to take care of her baby was temporarily unavailable. Alyss was more than happy to volunteer, as she would be spending the week in Araluen with Will and Evanlyn had offered them a guest room in the castle.

Eventually, Alyss won the argument, and had given herself the task of taking care of the world's most adorable baby.

Not that Madelyn was obedient- oh, no, she wasn't. Not _half_ of the time. Alyss could just imagine how rebellious she would be when he grew up…

She would tell her to stay away from something, and Madelyn would just crawl towards it faster. She would ask her to eat this, and Madelyn would knock it out of her hand and laugh, innocently.

Not to mention that this wasn't the first time Alyss had babysat her for a night, and she knew that around two o'clock in the morning, she would hear the sounds of Madelyn's crying and have to get up.

This time, she was planning on pinning that on Will. The thought made her smile with deviousness.

"Oh, I love you…" Alyss whispered. Madelyn cooed, like she had understood her and was returning her words.

But with all her faults, Madelyn was perfect. At times like this, when Alyss could just sit by the fire with Madelyn in her arms, rocking her to sleep, she wished…

She wished…

"Will, she's so beautiful," Alyss whispered, as she leaned on the doorway to the guest room. Madelyn had just fell asleep, and now it was Alyss's turn. Her husband was inside, reading a book from the castle library, but he looked up when he felt her presence.

"She is, isn't she…?" Will smiled. "I love her, too."

"I'm thinking about kidnapping her," Alyss sighed. She was tracing the corners of the doorway with her finger, spelling out some sort of pattern as she talked. "Evanlyn won't mind, will she?"

"Well…"

Alyss chuckled. "I'd never do anything to hurt them…"

Will had definitely noticed the far away-ness in Alyss's voice. She talked like half of her was somewhere else… up in the clouds somewhere. In a dream Will could never begin to fully understand.

"But I…" Alyss closed her eyes and shuddered. "I wish she was my own," she whispered.

Will sat up on the bed. And he said exactly what she expected him to say: "I do too. And you'd be the most wonderful mother, Alyss… but…"

"I know, I know." Alyss leaned off the wall and walked inside the room. "Rangers aren't around enough to be parents," she said, "and I'm too busy to settle down anywhere. Our lives forbid us from raising children… well, raising them right." She sat on the edge of the bed, her back facing Will. "Raising them like parents."

And suddenly, she felt a warm arm wrap around her stomach and pull her against the body behind her. As he nuzzled the side of her head with his, she heard his soft words: "If there's ever a way… we'll take it. I love you."

Looking down at his arm, she saw a tear drop down onto his bare skin. She held a hand to her face. She didn't even notice that she needed to cry… "I love you too," she said.

"Don't cry." Will hugged her even closer, until there wasn't a piece of her that didn't feel warm from his embrace. "I'm sorry… I…"

"You don't need to apologize," she whispered. More tears were falling down, and she collapsed farther into his arms with every one.

"If there's ever a way, I swear we'll take it."

"It's not your fault… and it's not mine," she said. "I wouldn't trade my life for anything. S-Still… With every bone in my body, I…"

There was a pause. Silence, that seemed to last the whole night. Alyss felt Will's lips meet her cheek, where a tear was sitting, and still, they said nothing. But Alyss didn't need anything more to comfort her than just sitting there with Will. Without words, he was promising. Without a promise, he was telling her that he wanted the exact same thing. A family. To be a father.

"Someday," he whispered. "The first chance we get… We'll build a family."

Alyss nodded, feeling for some reason a painful smile emerging on her lips. But it became less and less painful as it grew, and the way Will's words sounded in her ears made her sure… sure that what he said was the truth. "I know," she whispered.

 **27: Happy Birthday**

"Happy Birthday to-o you! Happy Birthday to-o you!"

Six year old Will looked up from his book, at the kids crashing into his room singing at the top of their lungs. Jenny and George were carrying some sweet-looking on a plate, and in front of them, leading them like a conductor was Alyss.

"Wh…" Will began, confused, "wha-?"

"Happy Birthday to Wi-il…" The three kids sat on opposite sides of him, and Jenny placed the plate in his lap. In perfect chorus with each other, yet still out of tune they sang the last line: "Happy Bi-i-rthday to-o youuuu…!"

"It's… not my birthday," Will awkwardly responded. He felt, afterwards that he should've said thank you before admitting that they had made a mistake.

But they didn't seem to care. "It is now," Alyss decided.

"You said you didn't know when your birthday was, so we made it today," said Jenny. "Now eat!" She pushed the plate, holding a delicious looking cupcake to him. "I hope you like it- I made it myself!"

It was true that they had no idea when Will was born. He was left on the doorstep as a baby, but nobody knew the exact date of his birth. The night before, Alyss and Jenny had talked it over and decided to _give_ him an exact date. They roped George into it, and made plans to put into action the next day.

A smile touched Will's lips, soft, at first, but expanding into a childish grin. "Thank you…" he laughed.

"No problem," said Alyss. "Friends give each other birthdays when they don't have any."

"Eaaat!" Jenny exclaimed.

Will, to make her happy, picked up the cupcake and bit into it. It was delicious… especially the frosting. That was Will's favorite part, even though it was messy and gave him sort of a blue mustache. "I'm going to forget it next year," he said, muffled by the food still in his mouth. Six-year-olds didn't know manners.

"But _we_ won't," Alyss told him. "April 23rd is your birthday, and we won't forget it, _ever_."

April 23rd. Will sat in the Ranger cabin he shared with his new mentor, on that day years and years later. It was late; Will had a few minutes to relax after dinner before he had to go to bed, and repeat the day over again. How long had it been since Jenny baked him a cupcake to celebrate his false day of birth? Over time the cupcake grew into an entire cake, or an apple pie that they all shared. Every year the four of them would sit at the lunch table, eat Jenny's cooking, and laugh over silly stories they told each other. Even when, one year, when they were older and Jenny and George forgot, Alyss cooked something up the best she could and came to Will's room to celebrate. She'd caught him crying.

 _"I told you I'd always remember," she whispered. She let him lay his head on her shoulder, and they sat there until Will didn't feel like crying anymore._

 _Back then, I thought of that as a friendly memory,_ Will thought.

His eyes turned down and his heart sank, even at the uplifting memory of Alyss's lips meeting his.

Next they flickered to the front door. Would she walk through the door again, unexpectedly, like she did that one time?

No… things were different now.

Just as Will promised himself he wouldn't cry, a warm tear dropped onto his cheek. As quickly as it appeared, he smudged it away and forced a chuckle.

 _Thinking about it won't accomplish anything,_ he thought, and stood up from the couch. His legs carried him to his bedroom, where he would sleep the night away and then repeat the day over again.

After all, it wasn't that big of a deal. Alyss was busy, just like him. It didn't mean that she didn't care… she just had too much on her mind. And it wasn't even his birthday. It was a fake day, and it didn't matter. Not _really_ … right?

And, just as Will promised himself he would let it go, he heard a whinny from Tug outside. That indicated that someone was approaching the cabin.

Hope flashed before his eyes. Could it be…?

But his feet froze. It was late… only someone with an emergency would be coming to the cabin this late at night. So it probably wasn't Alyss… maybe someone from the Corps with an important message. It would look bad if Will rushed out there, as desperately as he wanted to. As desperately as he needed Alyss's shoulder to lay his head on again. As desperately as he wanted things to be different, but the same. Not like that year before, in the sense of their feelings, but a repeat.

He didn't understand what he wanted.

He waited. His heart trembled in his chest, less stable than his shaking hands. Oh, he wanted it to be Alyss… The more he wished it was her, the farther away the possibility seemed, but that didn't stop him from dreaming.

A knock came, followed by the voice:

"Will… are you there? I'm sorry it's late, but… I told you I'd always remember."


End file.
